News 09:00

BULLETIN 5 August 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC reaffirms its commitment to land expropriation
# Jacob Zuma places the MK Party’s finances under his personal control
# And, Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli army won’t withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is disarmed

# The ANC says it’s not surprised by the legal challenge brought by the DA, AfriForum and the Institute of Race Relations against the Expropriation Act. The organisations want the Western Cape High Court to determine whether provisions in the Act comply with the Constitution. The ANC says the DA has opposed every decisive intervention aimed at dismantling apartheid’s structural inequalities and transferring dignity, opportunity and economic power to the black majority. It says land reform, restitution, equity and redress are neither acts of retribution nor negotiable political preferences; they are constitutional and historical imperatives. 

# MK Party president Jacob Zuma has placed the party’s finances under his personal control, stripping all officials of their bank account signing authority with immediate effect. This comes as he has dissolved the Strategic Presidential Team. The MK Party national spokesperson, Sifiso Mahlangu, says the moratorium previously imposed on matters relating to the party’s finances, the secretariat and communications has now been lifted with immediate effect. He adds that all constitutional and administrative functions of these offices shall resume without delay:

# The GOOD Party has described Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’s intergovernmental dispute with the acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia as pure electioneering hot air. This follows the national government’s refusal to grant Cape Town’s Metro Police officers investigative authority. GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, says declaring disputes with government won’t fix the root causes of gangsterism. He says real safety requires spatial transformation, well-maintained community spaces, and investment in the Cape Flats, responsibilities the DA-run metro continues to dodge:

# Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli Defence Force will not withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed. This comes amid disagreements over a roadmap floated by US president Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Hamas disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza under a ceasefire agreement. The IDF currently occupies around 70-percent of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu says Israeli forces will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, the country’s territory, and citizens.

# Golf: Defending champion Jayden Schaper, rising star Casey Jarvis, and Dean Burmester of South Africa have all confirmed their participation in December’s 10th anniversary edition of the Mauritius Open. Former champion Antoine Rozner of France will also be in action at the tournament with prize money of 25-milion-rand. Both Schaper and Jarvis are on track to earn their PGA tour cards for next season, and will arrive in Mauritius as the next wave of young international stars.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-33-cents and the euro at 18-rand-85-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-98-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-45-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-139-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-9-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….